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I spoke with Darryl Strawberry on Wednesday and came away quite impressed. The former major-league slugger has used up more lives than Morris the Cat – cancer, drug and alcohol addiction, prison – and I wondered if his latest recovery and religious transformation was the real McCoy.

I certainly hope it is, because I like the new and improved Darryl Strawberry, who says he has dedicated his life to God and helping others. I'll have a full feature on the former Mets and Yankees star on Thursday, but here are a few outtakes from our 30-minute chat, which began by Darryl introducing himself politely as "Mr. Strawberry."

His life now: "I'm a pastor, and I live in St. Louis with my wife. I moved to St. Louis 11 years ago and decided to dedicate the rest of my life to Christ. God called us to do all the things we are doing today."

The vanishing collectibles: "I don't have my World Series rings, any of that stuff. I have a couple of Rookie of the Year plaques and a home run plaque. I got rid of everything else. It didn't define me."

His biggest regret: "I didn't know how good I really was. I wish I could have taken better care of myself from a physical standpoint (Jim interjects here: He sounds eerily like another New York legend whose nightlife cut short his prime baseball years, Mickey Mantle).

Life in the fast lane: "I went out every night drinking and being with girls."

Most proud of: "The person I've always been. Even at the height of my career, I always treated people well. I was humble. I loved people. I still do."

Accountability: "My failures are my failures. But I was able to channel my failures into greatness."

“My failures are my failures. But I was able to channel my failures into greatness.”

Darryl Strawberry

Met or Yankee? "I don't really associate myself with either team, although I do stuff from time to time with both organizations. I'm a New Yorker."

To read much more about Strawberry, including how long he has been drug, alcohol and cancer-free and how he went from living in a basement to building rehab centers, check out my feature Thursday online and in the newspaper.

I don't know if Darryl Strawberry will stay on the straight and narrow, but after our chat on Wednesday, I certainly hope he does. I'm pulling for you, No. 18.

P.S. I'm pretty sure Mr. Strawberry butt-dialed me today as I was getting a haircut. No voicemail this time, though.